Research proposal Essay

The first edition of Guidelines for authorship a query proposal appeared in 1997. It has inevitably been widely read, not beca habit of its in presentnt fascination, and because, over its eight year life, numerous postgraduate students in the psychological science surgical incision have had to consult it in order to survive (and in most cases master) the arduous process of penning a explore proposal. some(prenominal) changes have been made for this new edition. A number of subsections which led to continuous misunderstandings on the part of readers have been clarified. there have also been minuscule administrative changes within the incision and the University which have required that some of the gist be updated.However the main change is that the conventions for citing and leaning references have been extensively revised to bring them into line with the 5th edition of the Publication manual(a) of the American Psychological Association (2001). In addition, the examples covered are more(prenominal) extensive and reflect a wider range of the kinds of references apt(predicate) to be cited not that in look for proposals but also in the dissertation itself. This means that this booklet provides a useful source for all postgraduates in the Department of psychological science who want a quick guide to the conventions for citing and listing references for any work to be presented to staff in the Department.David Edwards, February 20041. What is a look for proposal and what is it for?Whether you are planning a small honours query ejection or a major look pop at PhD level, the process of investigate proposal preparation result help you to come back care affluenty somewhat many aspects of your proposed research. If you embark on a research project without adequate preparation, you run the risk of discovering as you go along that what you have carry offn on is too large, too small, impossible, or full of contradictions The guidelines mold out i n this inventory are designed to close out this from happening. By following them, in close consultation with your supervisor, the planning of your research project lead be orderly, thorough and well conceptualized. This lead look into that you have an appropriate focus for the research project and that, once you take down the research, you will be able to follow a series of methodological steps which are likely to succeed in answering your research irresolutions.The finished research proposal is a schematic, highly foc utilize enumeration which summarizes your plans for setting closely a research project. The format requirements are set out below. It is important to follow these carefully because they reflect the criteria which are used by the committee(s) that will evaluate your proposal (see Appendix 1 for a elaborated set of such(prenominal) criteria). At honor level, proposals are ordinarily reviewed by an Honours research proposals review committee. skippers propo sals in Clinical and Counselling Psychology are reviewed by the Psychology Departments Research ProjectsReview Committee (RPRC). All otherwise Masters and PhD proposals are first reviewed by the RPRC, and, once they have been passed by that committee, go on to the Humanities Higher Degrees Committee (HHDC).Information about the dates on which the RPRC and HHDC meet (and the deadlines for submission of proposals for their agendas) is available in an information document which is obtainable from the Administrative Assistant and usually posted on the Departments weathervanesite (Research Projects Review Committee information, 2003). 2. The basic formatWhatever detail your research is for, you will study to follow the same basic principles with gaze to the format and structure of the research proposal. Section 3 below provides detailed guidelines as to how you should organize and structure it into various sections. Section 5 lines the conventions to be followed for citing and list ing reference existent. In addition, please note the following formal requirements for the proposal Use 1 spacing between lines and a 12 point Arial or Times New Roman font (or ace of similar size). For proposals which do not go on to the HHDC, the backing and other information should be displayed at the top of theproposal (see Figure 1) for proposals which will go to theHHDC they should be on a separate lintel rogue (see Figure2). The proposal whitethorn not exceed five pages (not including the header page where this applies) and should not includeappendices. Note if your proposal is shorter than this, it will credibly contain inadequate information. Number the pages (not the header page where this applies). Figure 1Heading format for proposalswhich do not go to the HHDCRhodes University Department of Psychology Honours 20031 An evaluation of an affirmative action programme in a small brass section2Research proposal submitted by3 _________________________4Supervisor 5 ________ __________________________________Begin the textbook of your research proposal here .Figure 2Format for form of address page of proposals which go to the HHDCA programme evaluation of a tuition programmefor HIV/AIDS counsellors2Research proposal submitted bygenus Melissa Appollis3g03c1263 4For a thesis in fulfilment6 of the requirements of the tip of Master of humanities in Psychology1Supervisor Professor T. Mkhize5Key for Figures1 Name of degree 4 Student number2 Title of project 5 Supervisor3 Student name 6 fulfilment or partialfulfilment3. The structure of the proposalThe research proposal ineluctably to have a title, a context section, statement of the research question or reads and a method section. Below are guidelines for writing each(prenominal) of these. Pay close attention to the kind of information that should be include in each part. Following these guidelines will help you to shamble beat out use of the limited space available and to avoid the inclusion of contrasted or inappropriate material.3.1 TitleThe title should leave behind the reader a succinct indication of what the research is about. This must include reference to the reach of research and an indication of what the research question is.It is often best not to spare the title until you have finished writing the rest of the research proposal.You whitethorn change the title when you relieve the actual research project either to reflect new emphases that emerge as the project unfolds, for example, in response to unexpected findings from your data analysis, or to add an artistic or personal touch to give your title a human quality or some personal distinctiveness.Important note For those theses which go finished the HHDC, the title is recorded in the Faculty record. This means that it cannot be changed without formally notifying the Dean and subscribe toting thepermission of the Faculty. A request to change the title must be made in writing to the Faculty Office, so unriva lledr well before the thesis is actually handed in.3.2 ContextThe hold out of this section is to prepare the reader for the research question(s) that will be found in the following section. In order to do this thoroughly, you will need to cover the following points You must place that your question is situated in an existing literature which provides a background and context for yourown research. You whitethorn draw on a particular research tradition or discourse within psychology (for example, attribution theory, radical feminism, object dealings theory, a particular personality theory, career development theory). Or you may describe theliterature in a particular applied arena, such as HIV/AIDS pleader, affirmative action in due south African organizations, psychotherapy for post-traumatic stress disorder, attitudes to socio-political transformation, or the effects of cumulative bats brain injuries in sport. Sometimes there may be both or more scene of actions of the resea rch literature which are relevant to yourresearch. In this case you need to introduce the relevantconcepts and issues from each genius. You need to write aboutthese concepts and research findings in such a way that you deliver that there is a substantial existing literature which you will be drawing on, and that you have a works knowledge and understanding of that literature. inject and define the most important psychologicalconcepts, distinctions, principles and theories which willform the initiation of the conceptual framework within whichyour research question makes comprehend (Leedy & Ormrod, 2001). In participatory and/or action research projects, conducted in partnership with a community, an organization, or aparticular group of people, give a legal brief business relationship of the nature of the partner community, organization or group. You should also describe the organizational or community context within which the research will take place. In addition, provide detail s of the history of your involvement withthe community, organization or partners and of the implicit or explicit contract that you have with them. When writing up a case study of a therapy or counselling process that has already taken place, give a brief account of the nature of the therapy/counselling process and argue why the material lends itself to supposed exploration in a research thesis. It is often appropriate to give a historical perspective to research in the area. Over the ultimo 100 years who have beenthe major players in investigating the area? Has the focus of research shifted? What have been the important historicalmilestones in scuttle new perspectives or researchapproaches? How does the approach you will use tantrum into this (Leedy & Ormrod, 2001 Seidman, 1998)?If you have collected a large amount of background material for this section, you do not need to refer to or describe everything that may be relevant or which you intend to include in the thesis. You on ly need to provide sufficient material to take care of each of the points just described. Furthermore, the degree of thoroughness with which the contextual background must be presented depends on the level of the degree you are studying for. When doing a PhD you need to show that you are familiar with everything important that has been written in the area. At Honours level, you will not, of course, have the time and resources to do that, but, you do need to take account of all the above requirements on a smaller scale.There are two steps to take to ensure that you have a sufficient background knowledge Choose a supervisor who is working(a) in the area and who knows what the core research writing in the area is. Conduct a literature search using an online database such as PsycInfo which you can access through the University program librarys electronic resources web page. Identify the items which youwant and check to see if they are in the Library or available in full text on one of the other online databases such as PsycArticles or ScienceDirect. Ifthey are not, you can use the Librarys interlibrary loan facility to order them. Students who are working on aresearch area which a staff atom is investigating, may beable to obtain financial assistance towards the make up of this from the staff members research grant.You can expect to work the context section again and again. It is not something you can expect to write out in an organized and taxonomic fashion at one sitting This is because, as you think about your topic and refine your research question, you will come to recognize what material has a direct baby carriage on it, and what material is of limited relevance. For example, as you clarify your thinking, you are likely to discover that you have omitted to define clearly certain concepts which are inbred if your research question is to be understood. You are also likely to suck up that some of the material which you initially thought was important is only of borderline relevance to the research question and needs to be omitted.You should organize this section carefully, so that you communicate to your reader that you have a clear sense of purpose in setting about your research project (Neuman, 2000, p. 101-103). A mistake that many students make is that they approach this section as if they were writing a discursive essay on the topic. Doing a research project is not a hefty vehicle for conducting your own personal interrogative sentence into an area that you have not read about and have no conceptual understanding of. In Honours and some directed get the hang and PhD courses, opportunities to write discursive essays are provided during the specialized papers you will be studying for. If you approach a research proposal like a seminar you will convey this message I am interested in depression, eating disorders, racism, art therapy, affirmative action etc.. I do not know much about it and have not to that degree read much t hat has been written bypsychologists on the issue. However here are a fewpreliminary thoughts I have about the topic. I hope thatsomehow during the course of doing this research my ideaswill get more organized and I will be able to make somesense of this topicThis, of course, is not a message which will impress the people who will evaluate your finished proposal kinda you should actively promote your research idea as something important and worthwhile. You should aim to communicate to your readerI have identified something of interest and grandnesswithin the discipline which is worth investigating. I have a good basic knowledge of the literature in this area andunderstand the profound concepts and theories. I havesufficient conceptual understanding to provide a basis for a clear research question and for a systematic researchinvestigation. When I complete the research it will besomething which will contribute to knowledge, have practical value and be worth reading material